Food security

• Food security is having enough food to feed a population
• The world population keeps increasing, with the birth rate of developing countries rising quickly.
• • As diets in developed countries change, the demand for certain foods to be imported from developing countries can increase.
  • This means that already scarce food resources can become more scarce.
• • Farming can be affected by new pests and pathogens
  • or changes in environmental conditions
  • this can result in the loss of crops and livestock
  • and lead to widespread famine
• In some parts of the world, there are conflicts and wars that affect the availability of food and water.
• • Sustainable methods of food production are needed so that enough food can be made to feed everyone now and in the future
  • sustainable production means making enough food without using resources faster than they renew
• Overfishing is decreasing fish stocks
• • Fish stocks are declining in the oceans because we’re fishing so much
  • this means there are fewer fish to eat
  • the oceans food chains are affected
  • and some species of fish may disappear altogether in some areas
  • we need to maintain fish stocks at a level where the fish continue to breed.
  • this is sustainable food production
  • fish stocks can be maintained / conserved in these ways
• Fishing quotas

  • there are limits in the number and size of fish that can be caught in certain areas
  • this prevents certain species from being overfished
• Net size

  • there are different limits of the mesh size of the fish net depending on what’s being fished
  • This is to reduce the number of unwanted and discarded fish - the ones that are accidentally caught like shrimp.
  • using a bigger mesh size will let the unwanted species escape
  • it also means younger fish will slip though, allowing them to reach breeding age
• Efficient food production

  • limiting the movement of livestock and keeping them in a temperature- controlled environment reduces the transfer of energy from livestock to the environment
  • this makes farming more efficient as the animals use less energy moving around and controlling their own body temperature
  • this means more energy is available for growth, and so more food can be produced from the same input of resources
• • livestock like calves and chickens can be factory farmed
  • this involves raising them in small pens
  • fish can also be factory farmed in cages where their movement is restricted
  • some animals are fed high-protein food to further increase their growth
• • Because animals are kept so close together, factory farming can be controversial.
  • diseases can spread easily
  • it could be argued that forcing animals into unnatural and uncomfortable conditions is cruel.